Christmas Week :)

Hello Everyone! :D

 

I have had the most marvellous christmas in the world! I had the greatest opportunity to skyp my family:) the member we were at, had just got a Xbox 1 for christmas. So I was able to skype in his room on his big screen tv. It was most defiantly my favourite part of christmas time, Family. It was different not being home for christmas. We have our traditions, and family get togethers, but the ward here in Stockport treated us like kings. We were able to go to 3 different members home on christmas day. They all fed us proper nice food. I would say I probably gained like half a stone.

So on Christmas Eve, we were having a meeting, and an unexpected visitor showed up. It was Santa with all of our christmas presents. I must have been on the good list, because I got lots of chocolate and a some parcels from home:) It was great. I waited until Christmas night to open them.

 

Then day after christmas, is called Boxing day here. It is like the UK's version of Black Friday. So we went to anothers members home and played Fifa in the morning, which I am rubbish at. Then went and watched a few films like Brave, Despicable me 1 and 2, and Monsters University. I laughed so hard.

 

On Saturday, I had reindeer for tea. My companion's parents sent him reindeer meat for christmas so we had it. It tasted like moose. It wasn't too bad. But that wasn't the weirdest thing I had all week. A member gave us some fruit cake, and told us to eat it with cheddar cheese!? I was skeptical, but gave it a try. It didn't make the fruitcake taste any better,

 

Yesterday at church we heard from a misssionary that is going to serve in Albania. He was the bishops cousin. He went to school at BYUI for 2 semesters. So if anyone know a Jakob Simon?? It was pretty crazy. The family also had some family over from Boise! So I talked with them and they live 5 minutes from the Boise Temple:) it was great to get to talk to my fellow Idahoians. Sounds like things are going pretty great over there. Yesterday we were in charge of sharing time, and teaching a primary class. It was defianltly a learing experience.

I hope you all had a great christmas and will have a happy new years.

 

Love you all

 

Love Elder Hammond

Christmas Week

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are all enjoying this time of year. It is a great time to serve one another and really grow strong relationships with your Heavenly Father. This past week I have seen many miracles happen. The first one is a family. A set of Elders met this family about a week ago. They came to church and are going to be baptized on the 28th! This is truly a christmas miracle. It is a mother and her 3 boys. After they get baptized, they are hoping to teach the father and the oldest daughter. When we were at their house, they let us hold their 6 week old chihuahua's! They were so cute and adorable. They were just so little :)

My friend Bew back in Wrexham is also going to be baptised on the 28th of December! Alot of christmas miracles happening.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to sing a duet with my companion in sacrament meeting. the bishopric had asked us the week before to do it. So we willingly accpeted. Knowing I am not very well musically talented, we practised everyday. It was just a short primary song called Shepards Carol. The first time through we sang it together. The second time it was in a round. And there was no piano to cover up our voices. So it was quite the sight. No one left the meeting, so it wasn't too bad ;) It was a growing experience for me. There is a scripture that talks about whom the Lord calls, he qualifies. So I had faith that he would bless me by my obedience. and we saw that. We had 3 our our friends we are working with come to church. 2 of them are some of the members son and his wife. they live in Japan but they have taken the discussions before. They really are a nice couple.

Then Sunday night we went to a Stake choir concert. It was WOW! I was so impressed by the talent of the stake. There was this 9 year boy that played the piano better than anyone I have ever seen. It was amazing. Then there were lots of songs performed by the choir and congregation. You could really feel the spirit there.

One of the most spiritual moments I felt this week was at sacrament meeting. After we had just got done singing. The next song the primary children sang how could the father show the world. I felt my Saviors love so strong. I knew then the Lord was watching over me. I could feel the Saviors love. To some it might have been just another sacrament meeting, but to me it was pure love of Christ. Let us all reflect upon what we can do this week to better remember our Savior and Redeemer who is Christ. I pray that you all may have a safe and Happy Christmas.

Love Elder Hammond

December :)

Moi everyone,

 

So my companion taught me a little bit of Finnish, Mu toveri on paras, my companion is the best ;). He is great I really enjoy serving with him. He is really funny.

 

I love Stockport! We are working with a family that recently got baptised. The mother in March, and the Father in November right before I came in. They are amazing. Chris has the aaronic priesthood and yesterday blessed the sacrament. He is a proper Chav. For those that doen't know what a chav is, it stands for council housing and violence. Pretty much a 20 year old. But I have seen a change in them. Yesterday we went over there for tea and he was preparing for family home evening! It was great. We will be at their home for part of christmas day.

 

I was able to read the first presidency christmas devotional. Wow that is so great. I really enjoyed when the sister talked about the young boy in cub scouts. How she saw a change in him. And he was anxious to know what happens next. What happens next is, we get to meet Jesus Christ after this life :) how great is that. We know that families are forever.

 

We had our Christmas training this past week at the mission home. It was marvelous. We had a proper christmas feast form Sister Preston. It was well nice. Then we watched Ephraim's rescue. Which is a story of the pioneers. Some where from England, others where from America. It is there story and I was deeply moved by their motivation to make it to Zion. We should all have the same desire. Constantly whatever the Lord asks we will do just like Ephraim Hanks did. Then we all got christmas card from the first presidency! I was so happy to know that a prophet of the Lord wrote to me! Wow how lucky am I to be a missionary.

 

I love you all! I hope you all travel safe and have a wonderful christmas! Remember the spirit of christmas should be our spirit of Christ :)

 

Love Elder Hammond

It's Christmas Time!

Hello everyone! :)

For those that don't know, I have been transfered to Stockport. So I am back in England. And am loving it. I am just outside of Manchester! So it is an area with lots of people and lots of different cultures. My companion is called Elder Maljanen and he is from Finland. So I am now serving with someone that has a completely different background than me. Me and Elder Kunzler had pretty much the same background.

 

I was able to see 2 baptizm these past few weeks. I was very blessed to see one of my good friends Rikesh get baptized. He was the boy we were working with in Liverpool that his dad wouldn't let him get baptized. He is now one of the newest members of the Liverpool ward. And it was a great experience to see him enter the waters for baptizm :) I was overly excited to see him get baptized. Then this past Saturday, we had a baptsim here ins Stockport. It was a 10 year old boy. He was the only one in his family that hadn't been baptized yet. His name is Ferdi :)

 

After his baptsim, his dad invited us over for lunch. He is from Angolia in Africa. They speak Portuguese. So it was interesting not knowing what they were saying at all :) they fixed us some typical Africa food, like foo foo, and some chicken. I don't really know what part I ate? I think the whole chicken was in the pot. Maybe a foot or something like that. OH which reminds me. Before I left Wrexham, one of the recently baptized, as of Saturday. members made us this soup. Afterward she told us it  was cowtail soup. And it was actually quite nice :)

 

It snowed for the first time here last week. It snowed for like 5 minutes. Then was melted like 5 minutes later. Everything shuts down when it snows. People don't drive anywhere they just panic. and it was like no snow at all. ONe of the members told me they get lot and lots of snow. So I was expecting like 8 feet of snow... It's like 6 inches of snow a year! I laughed. People aren't that use to snow out here.

 

It's still hard to believe Beau is home! That doesn't seem possible. I was very excited to hear about his homecoming talk and how he bore his testimony in Hawaiin. I didn't even know Hawaiian was a language!!

 

Oh one more thing I would like to share. I went to and Evangelical church last Sunday. The lady told us if we went to her church, she would come to ours. It was defiantly an experience I won't forget.

 

I look forward to this Christmas season! and I invite all of you to take president Ballards commitment to heart. And invite at least one person to come closer to Jesus Christ before Christmas this year! I know you will see miracles from it :) Have a safe and happy holidays, I love you all

 

Love Elder Hammond